The high cost of college tuition and housing can be prohibitive for many families, but savvy teenagers can take advantage of several programs to earn college credits while still in high school. Ultimately, such a strategy would allow these students to finish college in fewer than 4 years, double major or even study abroad, giving them a huge leg up in the job market, not to mention cutting down on their debt. Typical out-of-state tuition at a state school averages out to be $30,000 per year, so finishing just one semester early could mean around $15,000 in savings. In any case, motivated high schoolers would do well to look at their options for college credit now.
Testing to Earn College Credits There are several ways a student may demonstrate proficiency with a particular subject and simply test to earn the credits before setting foot on campus.
AP Testing Advanced Placement (AP) Testing is commonly found in public and private high schools. Taking an AP class prepares students for a test on a particular subject, and if they pass, they essentially get waivers for college credits. There are 34 developed AP courses; each high school varies in the ones they choose to offer as classes – that being said, students are still able to study for and take an AP test without having taken a class which teaches towards the test. Most high schools make AP options available during sophomore year, though freshman AP classes are becoming more common.
Working from a syllabus and using college-level reading materials, an AP class is taught in place of its high school equivalent. For example, your high school may offer biology, honors biology, and AP biology in order to meet your science credit requirement for junior year. In the AP class, your instructor will encourage note-taking, class discussion and projects on par with a college course. The class has midterm and final exams just like any other course.
It’s the testing at the end of the school year that make AP classes truly advantageous. A proctored examination of the course material is offered and graded on a numerical scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the best score. When you apply to college, your school may accept that test score in lieu of a biology general ed requirement, for example. Most schools require at least a score of 4 for credit, though some colleges will accept a 3. You will receive high school credit regardless of your performance on the AP exam.
CLEP The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is less common than AP exams but still a solid method of earning college credits ahead of the game. CLEP only requires that you make an acceptable minimum score on an exam to receive college credits; there is no curriculum and no high school credit. The test takes about 90 minutes and is a proctored, offsite exam.
While the 33 available CLEPs are proficiency exams without classroom instruction, some study materials are available. Sample exams and study materials may be found online. Some students may want to consider free online study sources, such as a massively online open course (MOOC) or a free class from iTunes or Khan Academy for additional preparation. Each college sets its own rules about which CLEP exams count as credit hours, so be sure you know a school’s policy before you commit.
Excelsior College Examinations (ECEs) These are proficiency examinations without classroom instruction, somewhat like CLEPs. ECEs are accepted for class credit at many academic institutions. It is worth noting that nursing exams are the only Excelsior exams that have been approved by the American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT).
After registration, students have six months to prepare for and take the ECE. Some study materials and practice exams are provided, and students are encouraged to prepare independently. Again, a free online course in the subject matter could be a useful preparation tool. High school students are not the only users of ECEs; working adults may use them for career advancement, and students from other schools can transfer credits in this manner to Excelsior College.
To read more, go to:
http://www.onlinedegrees.org/earning-colle...
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Monday, August 12th 2013 at 6:47PM
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